What I Learned from TV - April 27

Each time I do a post about What I Learned From TV, I’ll begin with the explanation from the first posting:

Now that my kids are grown, and Tom has retired, I’ve been able to go back to my natural sleep pattern which is to stay up late and get up late. Tom’s natural rhythm is just the opposite. So, he’s the lark and I’m the owl. 

And what this owl does in the late hours is watch television- not in the traditional way but through Hulu, Netflix, TunnelBear, and Acorn TV. Most of the shows are British, though I am a great fan of a few American television shows, and have been watching some from other countries now that we have TunnelBear. Some of these shows Tom will watch in the mornings, but some of them are all mine. So, when I hear a great quote from a show I know he’s not going to watch, I’ll leave him little post-it notes near the computer keyboard. I had a notion this morning to begin a new ‘letter topic’ called What I Learned From TV so I can put up some virtual post-its for you to read and, hopefully, enjoy. Some are funny, some are educational, some are wise.

From Royal Pains (which I watch on Netflix streaming):

A bite from a certain tick can cause a red meat allergy. I looked it up and it's absolutely true!

From an episode of Inspector Morse (which I watch on my DVDs): 

A murderer being arrested says to Morse: "When I come out, I'll get you, too."

Lewis says to Morse: "I shouldn't worry about it, Sir. By the time he comes out, you'll be long gone."

Morse to Lewis: "You're wasted as a copper, Lewis. You should have joined the Diplomatic Service."

Another from Inspector Morse:

After questioning a man, Lewis asks Morse: "What do you think?"

Morse replies: " What do I think? I've never heard so many lies. It was like sitting through an election campaign."

I have always thought that the proper British spelling of words such as criticize use an 's' instead of a 'z.' Well, not according to Morse. Lewis reads him a supposed suicide note:

"I apologise from the bottom of my heart, but I feel it is the only civilised thing to do."

Morse asks Lewis: "How does he spell 'apologize?'"

Lewis: "With an 's.'

Morse: "Civilized?"

Lewis: "Another 's.' What's wrong with that?"

Morse: "Well, it's illiterate, that's what. The Oxford English Dictionary uses a Zed [Z in US] for words that end in '-ize.' And so did Sir Julius. So he didn't write it."

From Inspector Lewis (which I watch on my DVDs):

Hathaway, speaking to Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent: "Well, lots of scientists have irrational beliefs. Isaac Newton thought the Bible was a cryptogram set by the Almighty."

Lewis to Innocent: "Walking Wikipedia."

Innocent to Lewis: "Only more accurate."